Little Matildas fan who went viral when Sam Kerr gave her Australia’s most prized football shirt reveals huge reward she was offered for selling it
Little Matildas fan who went viral when Sam Kerr gave her Australia’s most prized football shirt reveals huge reward she was offered for selling it
Just hours after Matildas star Sam Kerr handed over her match-worn shirt to a lucky young fan on Saturday, a radio station attempted to buy the prized piece of Australian sporting history for a dazzling figure.
Nine-year-old Zara went viral for all the right reasons after Australia’s historic Women’s World Cup quarter-final victory over France on Saturday night, when she was the lucky recipient of Kerr’s top.
Now she and her mother Selma have spoken to Brisbane radio station Nova 96.9, explaining the staggering offer a rival radio station had already made to try and snatch the jersey from her hands.
They appeared on Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie featuring former Home and Away star, Michael Wipfli and former Sydney Swans and Adelaide Crows AFL player Ryan Fitzgerald.
Zara can hardly believe her luck after being handed Kerr’s jersey after the penalty shootout
Zara and her mother Selma appeared on Today to share the competition-worn jersey with the nation
Ritchie made a brazen effort to get them to gift the sweater to her, before Zara and her mother revealed the offer that had already been made. The conversation went like this:
WIPPA: “Zara, this is a really great opportunity because it’s Kate Ritchie’s birthday here. Zara, would you give her the sweater?”
KATE: ‘You know what I would wish for my birthday more than anything in the whole world is Sam Kerr’s jersey’
FITZY: ‘You’re not going to get it Kate, it’s Zara’s sweater’
SELMA: Kate, how many bags do you have?
FITZY: “Well this is the thing, what do you love Louis Vuitton mama?” What is your favorite?’
SELMA: ‘Yes please, YSL’
KATE: “So you’re happy to swap mommy okay”
SELMA: “No, no, there’s no way Zara will let me.”
Kate Ritchie, Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and former Sydney Swan and Adelaide Crows AFL player Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald
That’s when little Matilda’s mom revealed the eye-popping amount they’d already gotten for the sweater:
FITZY: “Have you had an offer on the Jersey yet or not?”
SELMA: “We actually did, from a radio station that said $5,000 and we said no.”
KATE: ‘Don’t you dare’
As it turns out, Zara could be another Sam Kerr in the making.
She has scored 16 goals in 12 appearances for her local Brisbane club this season and idolizes the Australian captain.
“We were yelling and trying to get Sam’s attention. And Sam just noticed. And then we got the jersey,” she told the Nova crew.
‘I said thank you, thank you. She said you are welcome. And yes, we hugged each other a bit.’
Zara also revealed to the Today show hosts that she intended to frame the sweater and not sell the coveted piece of Matildas merchandise.
“I would like to list, but before I do I want to get her (Kerr) autograph,” said Zara.
She also hopes to be on the pitch alongside Matildas captain for the team’s semi-final against England this week.